Rail-joint.



PATENTED JULY 1'7,-1906.

H. BOWERS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED APB..4.1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed April 4, 1906. Serial No. 309,787.

To all whom it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, HARRY BowERs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenesaw, in the county of Adams and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in rail-joints, particularly of the type wherein the meeting ends of the rails are specifically formed to interlock.

The main object of the present invention is the production of means for interlocking the meeting ends of rails constructed and arranged to prevent independent endwise or lateral movement of the rails, whereby the rails are secured in desired alinement and prevented from separation.

The invention will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which 4 Figure 1 is a plan view showing my improved rail-joint. Fig. 2 is a section on line as x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the rail ends.

Referring particularly to the drawings, it will be noted that the meeting ends of any two particular rails are when in accordance with my invention of duplicate construction, whereby to provide for the proper assemblage of the rails without regard to the particular endsin contact. As such rail ends are in duplicate, a detailed description of one will suffice for both. Referring then more particularly to Fig. 4, it will be noted that with the exception of the particular construction of end the rail is of the ordinary commercial type, comprising a base-flange 1, a web 2, and treads 3. For the particular purposes of my invention, however, the Web 2 for a comparatively short distance from the free end of the rail is thickened at 4 practically equal to the width of the tread-surface 3 of the rail, the thickened portion 4 terminating abruptly at its rear end and forming, with the web 2 of the rail, shoulders 5, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The interlocking tongues and recesses to be described are formed at the rail end forward of the shoulders 5, being constructed, however, wholly in one side face of the rail, leaving the other plain and unbroken. In forming said interlocking tongues and recesses the rail for- Ward of the shoulders 5 is cut away to provide a forwardly and inwardly inclined wall 6, which extends wholly through the rail from top to bottom, includin the tread and base flange. At the inner end the wall 6 terminates in coincidence with the rear end of what I term a coupling extension 7, projecting in alinement with the tread of the rail, which extension is increased in width for a distance intermediate its ends to provide an abutment 8, the front and rear edges of said abutment extending at right angles to the wall of the extension 7 and providing shoulders 9 and 10 therewith. The end of the extension 7 is also increased in thickness at 11, the face of which is inclined at 12 par allel to and coextensive with the inclined wall 6. The enlargement 11 is spaced some distance from the wall 9 of the abutmentS, its rear edge forming, with the wall of the ex tension 7, a shoulder 13, extending parallel with and spaced from the shoulder 9 of the abutment. A tongue 14 extends rearwardly from the enlargement 11, being arranged in spaced parallel relation with the wall of the extension 7 and terminating intermediate the shoulders 9 and 13. By this construction the tongue 14 and extension 7 together form a recess 15, located at the forward portion of the extension and bent at its rear end for the insertion of an interlocking tongue, as hereinafter described. A second tongue 16 is secured to the abutment 8 near the rear edge thereof, said tongue projecting rearwardly beyond the abutment and extendin in spaced parallel relation to the wall of the extension 7 in rear of the shoulder 10, the tongue terminating between said shoulder 10 and the end of the wall 6. A second recess 17 is thus provided by the wall of the extension 7, the tongue 16, and the shoulder 10, this recess being open at the rear end and be ing in longitudinal alinement with the recess 15. The tongue 16 is secured on the outer side of the abutment, its forward edge terminating abruptly and providing, with the abutment, a shoulder 18 for a purpose hereinafter described.

In connecting the meeting ends of the rails, it being understood that both ends are constructed in accordance with the above description, one end is positioned above the other to vertically aline the tongue 14 thereof with the recess 17in the other rail, this operation also alining the ton ue 16 of one rail with the recess 15 of the other. Said tongues are caused to engage the respective recesses,

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when the rails will be connected through the medium of the engagement of said tongues and recesses, the inclined end 12 of the extension of one rail fitting against the wall 6 in the other rail and the shoulder 18 of one rail fitting against the shoulder 9 of the other rail, all as clearly seen in Fig. 1. The respective recesses and tongues are of such relative size, however, as to permit a slight independent movement of the rails, whereby to provide for contraction and expansion under the usual atmospheric conditions. It is of course to be understood that the relative thickness of the contacting or cooperating parts of the respective coupling extensions is such that when said extensions are connected the tread portions of the rails are complete and of equal width throughout.

In connection with the rail-joint described I use a chair 19, comprising a base-plate 20 to underlie the base-flange of the connectingrails and formed 011 one edge with a verticallyextending lip 21 to abut against the edge of the base-flange of the rail when the chair is in place. The base-plate is formed on the opposite edge with a flange 22, designed to overhe and bear upon the upper surface of the base-flanges of the rails. The chair 19 is of a length to extend longitudinally of the connected rail ends and beyond the shoulders 5, the flange 22 being formed at appropriate points with extension 23 to bear against the web proper of the rails immediately in rear of the shoulders 5, thereby locking the rails against possibility of independent endwise movement under any circumstances. The base-plate 20 of the chair extends a sufficient distance beyond the edges of the base-flanges of the rails to provide for the formation in said base-plate of spike-receiving notches 24, designed to permit the securing of the chair to the ties. As described, the joint provides a construction 'readily formed by ordinary machine-work and which in use serves to effectively lock the rails against independent movement in any direction, the chair serving, of course, by virtue of the overlying flange 22 to prevent the independent vertical movement of the connected rail ends which would otherwise tend to disconnect them.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The combination with the meeting ends of railroad-rails shaped to interlock and prevent separation by independent movement except in one direction, and a chair adapted to engage said meeting end and prevent their independent movement in said direction,

said chair engaging shoulders formed on the rails in rear of the interlocking means.

2. A rail joint comprising interlocking means formed in the meeting ends of the rails, said means including tongues and recesses formed in each meeting end and arranged to respectively interlock, the terminal of each rail being inclined to fit an inclined shoulder in the other rail, each rail being formed with an oflset in rear of the interlocking means, and a chair-plate to engage both rail ends when in connected relation, said chair being formed with projections to engage in rear of the ofl'sets of the respective rails.

3. A railjoint comprising duplicate rail ends, each including a web portion approximately equal in thickness to the treadportion of the rail to provide shoulders projecting laterally from the web proper of the rail, said. enlarged web portion being formed with an inwardly .and forwardly extending wall, a coupling extension extending forward from the rail, said extension being centrally thickened and formed with a terminal enlargeient having an inclined face, and tongues projecting rearwardly from said enlargement and thickened portion, said tongues extending in parallel spaced relation with the facewall of the extension to provide recesses, and a chair-plate adapted to interlock in rear of the shoulders formed by the enlarged web portions of the rails.

In testimony whereof I a'liix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY BOWERS.

Witnesses:

E. E. SCHULTZ, E. MEGHAM. 

